60 years since the sacrifice of Evagoras Pallikaridis

People and the state honored the young hero from Paphos 
Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulidis said that Evagoras Pallikaridis was led to the gallows, committed to the ideals of freedom

"I will courageously follow my fate. Maybe this is my last letter. But again it does not matter. I do not regret anything. Let me lose everything. Once one dies. I will walk happily to my last home. What today, what tomorrow? Everyone dies one day. It is a good thing for someone to die for Greece. 7:30. The most beautiful day of my life. The most beautiful hour. Do not ask why. "

This was the last letter of 19-year-old Evagoras Pallikaridis before he was taken to the gallows on March 14, 1957. He was the youngest and the last fighter to be hanged by the British.

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"There is no other way"
"There is no other way, no other way, even partial payment of our debt to the young Evagoras and our other heroes from the devotion and unceasing effort aimed at the solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our homeland," he said in his speech. Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulidis at the religious memorial service for the hero Evagoras Pallikaridis held at the Cathedral of Agios Theodoros, presided over by Metropolitan George of Paphos.

 Mr. Christodoulidis said that Evagoras Pallikaridis was led to the gallows, committed to the ideals of freedom. Since then, he continued, "this place gave birth and raised dozens of fighters who gave their souls in another battle, another decade, in another trench, but with a common denominator, the love for Cyprus".

Mr. Christodoulidis said that "today, 60 whole years after his hanging and paying tribute to his sacrifice, let us seek support and guidance in the paths and uphill paths of virtue and freedom that the young steps of the poor tenant carved Evagoras ".

 
"Evagoras is moved"
"Evagoras is moved, because he was a student, an accomplished poet, when he had gone to the mountains and his martyrdom is the one that sensitizes the students very much," Manolis Stergioulis, Philologist-School Counselor of Philologists and President of the Panel, told KYPE. .

Stergioulis, who has been attending Evagoria for the last 15 years and collaborating with the representatives of the Cultural Association "Evagoras Pallikaridis", referring to Evagoras Pallikaridis, said that the message sent by Evagoria and what Evagoras fought for is that freedom effort, is not given but won. He even pointed out that his effort is to make known in every school, especially in Greece, the sacrifice of Evagoras and the ideals for which he fought and thus to be a model for our students.



Wide participation
Asked what touches him most in the events for Evagoria 2017, Mr. Stergioulis said that in the past there was no participation of students, saying that in recent years this has been reversed and that students participate. He added, however, that this participation should be increased with the participation of all schools in Paphos. In addition, Mr. Stergioulis said that he will always attend the events of Evagoria, noting that the effort he has been making for years is to transfer similar events to schools in Greece.

 Indicatively, he noted that events for Evagoras have already been organized in many cities of Greece such as Sparta, Tripoli, Athens, Chalkida and Kos, while a relevant event is being prepared in honor of Evagoras and Karditsa. Mr. Stergioulis said that the renovated Paphos presents a very good picture and this -as he mentioned- proves that those in charge are working in the right direction. Mr. Stergioulis attended all the events Evagoria 2017 organized by the Cultural Association of Evagoras Pallikaridis, as well as the literary memorial of the hero-poet of EOKA organized in the event hall of the XNUMXst Lyceum of Paphos.

 
Honor events
The whole weekend was dedicated to Paphos with events in honor of the memory of the heroic student Evagoras Pallikaridis in the context of Evagoria 2017. The events, organized every year by the Cultural Association of Evagoras Pallikaridis, included yesterday a literary memorial of the hero A 'Lyceum of Paphos.

The program included melodic poems by Evagoras Pallikaridis from the choir of the Cultural Association under the direction of conductor Zacharias Evangelos. Also, greetings were addressed by the President of the Association George Theodosiou and the Mayor of Karditsa George Kotsos, as well as a speech by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Environment Nikos Kougialis.

 In addition, students of the Lyceum of Paphos presented a theatrical excerpt from the work of Angeliki Smyrli Evagoras, while the folklore group Geroskipou presented Greek dances. The literary memorial service ended with the awarding of prizes to the winners of the school poetry competition.

 
His action
Evagoras Pallikaridis was born in Tsada, Paphos, on February 26, 1938. He passed the 6th grade of elementary school with honors. On April 1, 1953, Evagoras starred in various demonstrations against the British. Specifically, on June 2, Queen Elizabeth would be crowned. In England and in all the colonies preparations were made for the great event.

In Paphos, the English flag is hoisted at the "Jacob Gymnasium", a fact that infuriates the students.

On the eve of the coronation, the students of Paphos and the students of Liasidio College organized a demonstration demanding the submission of the English flag and the evacuation of their stadium by soldiers and police. The then 15-year-old Evagoras climbs the mast, lowers and tears the English flag: this fact gave the impetus for the expansion of the demonstrations.

The students and the crowd clash with the police, which is reinforced by Turks. The commander sends an order for the police to withdraw, because the queen's coronation should not be stained with blood. Thus, the students carried away everything related to the celebrations for the coronation. Paphos became the only place where the coronation was not celebrated. Evagoras was arrested, but was released due to his young age.

 
The beginning of the end
At the age of 17, Evagoras Pallikaridis left school and joined the EOKA guerrilla groups. On November 17, 1955, the students of the High School gathered and prepared a demonstration by the well-known ones organized by ANE (Alkimos Youth EOKA) as a distraction. The soldiers were ordered to shoot the protesters indiscriminately. Evagoras is arrested and taken to court on charges of illegally participating in riots. Evagoras did not plead guilty and the trial was adjourned until December 6. It was the beginning of the end.



The arrest
On December 18, 1956, together with 2 other competitors, they transported weapons and food from Lysos. Suddenly, they were confronted by an English patrol. Evagoras' 2 competitors managed to escape, but he was arrested. He was in possession of a greased Bren machine gun. It was therefore unprepared to be used. It also carried 3 full magazines.

He was charged with possession and trafficking of weapons and was transferred to Nicosia and the trial is set for February 25. At his trial, Pallikaridis did not leave room for his lawyers to defend him, since despite their objections, he admitted his guilt: "I know that you will hang me. Whatever I did, I did as a Greek Cypriot, whatever he asks for his Freedom. Nothing else".



The youngest and last
The day after Pallikaridis' conviction, Paphos High School students abstained from their classes in protest and sent a telegram to Harting asking him to pardon Evagoras. Everyone starts an effort to save the young student. The Greek government is trying to prevent his execution.

The Cypriot fraternity of Athens requests the personal intervention of King Paul.

The Greek Parliament sends telegrams to the House of Commons and the United Nations. Archbishop Dorotheos, Archbishop Salaminos Gennadios, Nicosia Mayor Mr. Derdis, 40 British Labor MPs, guilds, South African Archbishop Nicodemus, US Senator Fulton, ordinary citizens are trying to overthrow him.

But Harting and British diplomacy reject the pardon. He was hanged on March 14, 1957, at the age of just 19. He was the youngest and the last fighter to be hanged by the English. His tomb is in the Prisoner Memorials in Nicosia.

Source: Sigma Live